Aortic valve replacement
- Thread starter kudzu3
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mike from st pete
Member
Mitral valve replaced and Aorta repaired. Operation was a little over 4 hours two hours on bypass. I've been on warfarin, a blood thinner, since.
I was in ICU for a couple of days and in cardiac care for a week, five days.
Out on a med leave for eight weeks. Drains in my chest and wired for external pacemaker removed the day I was released. Opiates will be your best friend for a month. Every day home I needed less and did not use the full prescription.
If your doctor can do this operation without going in thru your sternum your recovery time would be less than mine.
Do you have the option for just having the valve repaired?
I was in ICU for a couple of days and in cardiac care for a week, five days.
Out on a med leave for eight weeks. Drains in my chest and wired for external pacemaker removed the day I was released. Opiates will be your best friend for a month. Every day home I needed less and did not use the full prescription.
If your doctor can do this operation without going in thru your sternum your recovery time would be less than mine.
Do you have the option for just having the valve repaired?
My experience was much like Mikes. I had a harder time in surgery and they had to crack me open twice. Doc missed a stitch and I kept bleeding out. Got out after 7 days. Was supposed to be on med leave for 8 weeks. Went back to work half days after two. Mistake. Had to go home and lay down for a week. Listen to your Doc..
kudzu3,
The recovery time is shorter than when I worked with open heart surgery back in the day.
Just follow the orders to the letter and push a little but not too much (sometimes is hard to get it right at first).
A prayer for your complete healing offered in advance.
The recovery time is shorter than when I worked with open heart surgery back in the day.
Just follow the orders to the letter and push a little but not too much (sometimes is hard to get it right at first).
A prayer for your complete healing offered in advance.
model70hunter
Member
Best wishes, we look forward to hearing from you after surgery. Prayers for you and your family.
bluetopper
Member
A co-worker of mine had a heart valve replaced with a cow heart valve several years ago. So far so good.
Aortic vave replacement in the U.S. has undergone tremendous advances in just the last year. Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement has been done in Europe for years and about 30% of all Aortic valve replacements in Germany use this approach. TAVR has just recently been approved by the FDA in the U.S. and we are doing more and more of these every day. Not many physicians are certified to perform this procedure and there may be certain qualifications or risk criteria one would need to meet in order to qualify, but if I were you I would certainly investigate further and travel wherever I needed to go before having my chest cracked. Best of luck
watch this
http://http://vimeo.com/35964146
watch this
http://http://vimeo.com/35964146
proctorflash
Member
Had mine done in Sept right after labor day, had a cow valve. I was back to work first of December. No problems except chest was sore for apx 3 weeks. Follow ALL the doctors orders I found out must take food with pain meds once i did that it went a lot better. Therapy was 3 times a week for apt 2 months Get directions on how to hold your chest if you need to cough or sneeze. Hurts a lot. all is well now Good Luck!
amazingflapjack
US Veteran
Mathew 8: 17
bamacisa
Member
I had my aortic valve replaced about one year ago. It was the hardest thing that I have ever experienced. I am over it now and just had a heart check up this week. I got a good check up and the doctor wants to see me in a year, Do what your doctor tells you, and you will be ok. It will not be easy, but you do what has to be done. The doctor told me that if I did not have the operation, I would have a 50% chance of dying with in one year and a 75% chance of dying with in two years. Not much choice about what to do....good luck!!
Long Barrel
Member
Had it done....
TWICE! Yup, I'm on my second replacement valve. We used bovine valves, which have a shorter service life than some non artificial valves. The advice given above is good stuff. I can only add that you need to keep your morale up during recovery. If you have questions, there is a users forum, Valve replacement.com.
Oh, and don't EVER watch the op on YouTube.
I'm doing well, no problems with the heart, got some cancer, though.
TWICE! Yup, I'm on my second replacement valve. We used bovine valves, which have a shorter service life than some non artificial valves. The advice given above is good stuff. I can only add that you need to keep your morale up during recovery. If you have questions, there is a users forum, Valve replacement.com.
Oh, and don't EVER watch the op on YouTube.
I'm doing well, no problems with the heart, got some cancer, though.
Old Arkansawyer
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When John Wayne had a pig valve put in his heart, he told Johnny Carson that he wanted to lay in mud holes. Watch out for that and good luck!
Whitwabit
US Veteran
PHP:
Anyone ever had an aortic valve replacement? I probably will have the surgery soon and just wanted to know what to expect. Thanks.
A comment like that you don't know if you should like or not ..
Don't know anything about it but wanted to wish you Good Luck !!
When ever it happens !!
I messaged you. My wife works with the structural heart program at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit. Good people, I've been able to meet them all. Dr. O'Neil and Dr. Greenbaum are superstars. And Dr. Dee Dee is great too. She makes a 3-d printed model of your heart so the other doc can see where to go beforehand. In the video, there's a display of her models with her in front of it. Cool stuff. [ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=izC8dHrsBbY[/ame]
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Gaffer
Member
Had my aortic heart valve replaced last June. The surgery went well and the recovery was going well until pneumonia set in. That set me back a bit but after that was treated and overcome the rest went fairly well. There never was a lot of pain, some discomfort. I did the rehab and still do 7 miles on a stationary bike 2-3 times per week just to keep strengthening the heart I can see the heart rate slowing with the exercise regime over time.
It was not something I wanted to do and had reservations about it but now that it is behind me I feel it was the right thing to do. I am almost 85 now and still active as one in their seventies, perhaps sixties.
Good luck and give it your best shot as what your asked to do.
It was not something I wanted to do and had reservations about it but now that it is behind me I feel it was the right thing to do. I am almost 85 now and still active as one in their seventies, perhaps sixties.
Good luck and give it your best shot as what your asked to do.
I was reading about TAVR in the Wall Street Journal just yesterday. It sounds incredibly promising. The rehab for traditional valve replacement can be lengthy and somewhat grueling. TAVR can reduce that significantly.
